HMSC Connects! Podcast

Healing the Scars of the Past: A Conversation with Sarah Clunis, Curator of African Collection at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology

Welcome to HMSC Connects! where we go behind the scenes of four Harvard museums to explore the connections between us, our big, beautiful world, and even what lies beyond. In this episode host Jennifer Berglund and guest Sarah Clunis, the Director of Academic Partnerships for the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, and the new curator of their African collections, delve into important topics focusing on racial identity and healing from the collective trauma of slavery.

2022 State of the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture with Executive Director Brenda Tindal

For the first HMSC Connects! podcast of 2022, host Jennifer Berglund speaks with the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture’s new Executive Director, Brenda Tindal, reflecting on Brenda’s first six months, the current state of the museums, and the significance of the upcoming 10^th anniversary of HMSC. 

Transforming the Museums with Teens, a Conversation with Julia Szejnblum, Former Coordinator of the Escúchame/Hear Me Out Project at HMSC

Welcome to HMSC Connects! where Jennifer Berglund goes behind the scenes of four Harvard museums to explore the connections between us, our big, beautiful world, and even what lies beyond. This week Jennifer Berglund is speaking with Julia Szejnblum, the former coordinator of the Escúchame/Hear Me Out project at the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture. The project is for teenagers from the Somerville and Chelsea, Mass. communities who identify as Latinos, Latinas, LatinX, or Hispanics to create media projects designed to make the museums more engaging and accessible to their communities.

Exploring History through Plants and Glass: A Conversation with Michaela Schmull

Welcome to HMSC Connects! where Jennifer Berglund goes behind the scenes of four Harvard museums to explore the connections between us, our big, beautiful world, and even what lies beyond. This week Jennifer Berglund is speaking with Michaela Schmull, Director of Collections for the Harvard University Herbaria, about her work with a collection of about five and a half million dried and pressed botanical specimens and their associated artifacts, including the one-of-a-kind Glass Flowers models. 

Correction: The Tuckerman Herbarium was purchased in 1886, not 1829, as stated in the podcast.

Forgotten Scientific Histories of Many Mexicos, A Conversation with Gabriela Soto Laveaga, Professor of the History of Science and Antonio Madero Professor for the Study of Mexico

Welcome to HMSC Connects! where Jennifer Berglund goes behind the scenes of four Harvard museums to explore the connections between us, our big, beautiful world, and even what lies beyond. This week Jennifer Berglund is speaking with Gabriela Soto Laveaga, a professor of the History of Science in the History of Science department at Harvard, who researches Latin American history, science, and technology.

Exploring Ancient Deep Sea Shipwrecks with Dana Yoerger, Senior Scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Welcome to HMSC Connects! where Jennifer Berglund goes behind the scenes of four Harvard museums to explore the connections between us, our big, beautiful world, and even what lies beyond. This week Jennifer Berglund is speaking with Dana Yoerger, Senior Scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, who works in the Deep Submergence Laboratory. He designs, builds, and operates new kinds of underwater robots for use in the deep ocean. 

A Lifetime of Natural History with Gonzalo Giribet, incoming Director of the Museum of Comparative Zoology

Welcome to HMSC Connects! where Jennifer Berglund goes behind the scenes of four Harvard museums to explore the connections between us, our big, beautiful world, and even what lies beyond. This week Jennifer Berglund is speaking with Gonzalo Giribet, the new director of the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology, Professor in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard, and curator of invertebrate zoology. Giribet recounts his insatiable interest in scouring the beach for shells growing up south of Barcelona, Spain, which ultimately led him into a career as a scientist.

Twenty Years of the MCZ with James Hanken, outgoing Director of the Museum of Comparative Zoology

Welcome to HMSC Connects! where Jennifer Berglund goes behind the scenes of four Harvard museums to explore the connections between us, our big, beautiful world, and even what lies beyond. This week Jennifer Berglund is speaking with James Hanken, Professor of Biology at Harvard University and outgoing Director and Curator of Herpetology at the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology. Jennifer speaks with Professor Hanken about his fascination with natural history from a young age in Queens, NY, his choice between a career in nature photography and academia, seeing the potential in renovating the collections, and the joy of watching vultures create a home in his garage during the pandemic. 

Reflections on Repatriation with Philip Deloria

Welcome to HMSC Connects! where Jennifer Berglund goes behind the scenes of four Harvard museums to explore the connections between us, our big, beautiful world, and even what lies beyond. This week Jennifer Berglund is speaking with Phil Deloria, the Leverett Saltonstall Professor of History at Harvard, and the chair of the committee on degrees in history and literature. Deloria has been working with the Peabody Museum as the chair of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act committee and has been instrumental in guiding the Peabody on its efforts to repatriate culturally affiliated Native American remains and objects.

Maine, Monkeys, and Museums: A Conversation with Outgoing HMSC Director of Exhibitions Jan Sacco

Welcome to HMSC Connects! where Jennifer Berglund goes behind the scenes of four Harvard museums to explore the connections between us, our big, beautiful world, and even what lies beyond. This week, Jennifer Berglund is speaking with Jan Sacco, the  Director of Exhibitions at HMSC. Jan is retiring at the end of June. Not only is Jan an exhibit developer for our wonderful exhibitions, but she’s also been an inspiring force within the HMSC organization.